Becoming Real

I’ve always loved the children’s story, The Velveteen Rabbit. The rabbit is a young boy’s stuffed animal who, upon learning that toys become real through the love of their owners, wants to be loved by the boy so that he can become real. This is our human quest, too, isn’t it? We want to be loved. We want to become real. Hence the endurance of that children’s story published nearly 100 years ago.

What stands in the way of being real? Messages we received in the past and continue to live by that tell us we must do certain things and be certain ways to be loved. How can we become real? Just like the Velveteen Rabbit. We can go on a quest for healthy, nurturing love through the creation of mutually caring relationships, through connections with that which is greater than us, and by engaging in self-discovery processes.

As we quest, we cannot help but discover that not only can we be real, but in order to have a true sense of happiness and sense of self, we MUST become real. I leave you with a final quote:

Everyone wants to belong, or to be a part of something bigger than themselves, but it’s important to follow your heart and be true to yourself in the process. Emily Giffin